The irony of you using one game to make broad conclusions on a team that is only behind OKC in winning percentage against winning teams this season while "being cautiously optimistic aka "hater" over a substantial amount of games since Thanksgiving is a great snapshot of how aimless you hate is.
This is what butthurt fans of the losing team say. I never see fans of a team dismiss wins against great teams with all their main players playing like this poster. Like dude you are supposed to be a Rocket fan. So I guess Luka and Kyrie didn't try in...check notes... The third game of the season? That poster is basically putting himself in a rhetorical position where you can't say anything positive until the playoffs. "We don't have a franchise player because they haven't done it in the playoffs". Yes 22 year olds drafted to tanking teams usually don't have playoff success yet. Bancharo, Franz Wagner, Mobley, Garland etc. No one dismissed them as promising franchise cornerstones because they haven't had playoff success yet.
As a former "Glass half empty" guy with Jalen, at this point you have to be "glass half full" guy with him. He's starting to have a nice wiggle on his drives and isn't just straight lining them. Finishing better, shooting better. Obviously defensively improved. Plays every game. 90ish% FT shooter. Seems like he's not just a guy. Starting to feel really hopeful
This is what I don’t understand. Go to the Pistons forum — anyone over there arguing that Cade isn’t a franchise player? Anyone arguing on the Magic forum that Paolo and Franz aren’t franchise pieces? Here, we have a 22 year old center who has put up a 20/10/5 line for a year, a SG who has had had more 30 point games before 23 than Kobe, and a forward who looks to have DPOY potential. Not to mention we’re second in the West. And posters on here have serious doubts those pieces will continue to develop? Give me a break. At this point, it’s not “pragmatism.” It’s stubbornness.
"Why are you guys excited about the second youngest team based on usage rate being the second seed in the West?".
Also dude is a gamer in the sense he will shot talk star players while down and walk the talk. He's done it earlier in his career against Boker and Beal. Done it against Ja, Westbrook etc. Dude ain't a frontrunner.
Nah dude. He's had 41 pt games against the Wolves in wins. He balled out against the Thunder last season in overtime and you can say it was with SGA out but if the claim is about him not doing well against elite defenses, the OKC thunder squad is a elite defense without SGA still. They have an army of good to elite defenders at the wings and guards position with Chet who got fouled out thanks to Green also that game. The Memphis game is merely one of his best games. I see a pattern with you that whatever his latest really great game was, you dump out all the other great games he had and pretend this is the first one he has played this well against a good team.
You cosplay as a reasonable poster, but then you extrapolate nonsense based on 1 game and use Bobby’s vernacular and talking points. It’s not a good look
Yeah - I would say that first there are not a lot of true franchise players in the NBA. Second, I would say that Green, Sengun and Amen all have some warts that can be overcome but they are far from guarantees. So - yes, I would say that there is like a 25% chance that one of Green, Sengun or Thompson turns out to be the type of player that can lead a team to a championship.
No I understand the sentiment just trying to understand what you consider a franchise guy. I do agree most franchise guys have 2 elite traits. Players like Trae or Lamelo can avg 25 with elite playmaking and be franchise guys no questions. Players like Jimmy butler and PG13 can average 25 with elite defense so they are franchise guys. Jalen isn't elite at either at those traits. So it comes down to do you believe Jalen avg 25 with average-above average defense and average-above average playmaking can be considered a franchise guy. Doesnt seem like you feel that way, and i understand your point just trying to figure out where the opinion changes. If he stays at the same level defensively with the same quality of facilitating and creation what would it take, in your opinion, to become a franchise guy? Is it 28ppg at average efficiency? is it 30ppg at average efficiency? Is it 25ppg at elite efficiency? is it 28ppg at elite efficiency? fwiw, Im more curious about your opinion more than I am in whether Jalen accomplishes any of this or not. Its more an exercise of me trying to understand your opinion, because I probably value your opinion the most on this board.
I understand that is your premise. I just don't see it being defended well If guys like Tatum and Booker can be the best players on finals level teams I see no reason why Amen, Green and Sengun can't. Amen and Green specifically are more naturally gifted players than those guys. Combine that with these young guys being groomed by an elite coaching staff, the odds look even more favorable.
They played Zach Edey lol. Not really no. They're just trying things right now. As are we but in a 7 game series no one in their right mind would pick us over Memphis.
Man, I didn't expect you to fall into the "moving the goal posts" camp along with ilk like Bobby, etc. Pretty sad. And we are 3-0 against Memphis this season. Your position is absurd.
Even Memphis fans aren't this confident. Go to their reddit and message boards you see many posts talking about the Rockets being a scary match up in the playoffs. Not one fan from the Grizzles talk about their team not trying against the Rockets. Like I'd expect the fans of the losing team to make those excuses. You are making it for them which I find funny.
Zach Edey has been playing ~20 mpg all season. He played ~20 mpg against us. So I guess Memphis hasn't been trying to win at all this season? Pretty incredible they have that win-loss record when they're not even trying.
It's sad how generally reasonable posters have to stretch the limits of their rationality in the pursuit of alleged "pragmaticism." I expect it from Bobby. Not Mystik.
It's about consistency.... it's good that Jalen's hot streak started before the spring but we need to see him produce at a consistent level. Definitely a good sign but I'm not apologizing or asking for an apology until I see a full season/post season of work.
So now the definition of a “franchise” player is a player who “leads a team to a championship.” Interesting. Guess Luka, Ant, Shai, Wemby, etc aren’t franchise players. Hell, I guess Harden wasn’t a franchise player. He never even made the Finals. You see the cowardly logic behind that definition, right? It literally can’t be disproven until a team led by the player wins a championship. Until that happens, the defense is always there, are silly as it sounds.
